One of the very few - if not only - books written exclusively related to this topic. This book comprehensively outlines the principles governing the accumulation of chemicals from the environment by organisms. Packed with tables and diagrams, this work reviews the experimental data available on both terrestrial and aquatic systems. It describes methods which are used to predict bioaccumulation of chemicals from their physicochemical properties. It also reviews environmental and other factors influencing bioaccumulation. This text also includes previously unpublished theoretical explanations of several bioaccumulation processes, including food chain biomagnification. Information in this exceptional volume is useful to government officials involved with environmental management, chemists, biologists, consultants working with chemical waste control, researchers, and graduate students.

Basic Concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition provides a theoretical basis for the behavior and biological effects of natural chemical entities and contaminants in natural systems, concluding with a practical focus on risk assessment and the environmental management of chemicals. The text uses molecular properties such as polarity, water solubility, and vapor pressure as the starting point for understanding the environmental chemistry of various contaminants in soil, water, and the atmosphere. It explains biological processes such as respiration and photosynthesis and their relationship to greenhouse gases. The book then introduces environmental toxicology and describes the distribution, transport, and transformation of contaminants, including PCBs and dioxins, plastics, petroleum and aromatic hydrocarbons, soaps and detergents, and pesticides. The author highlights the relationship between specific chemical properties and their environmental and biological effects. Other topics discussed include partition behavior, fugacity, and genotoxicity, particularly involving carcinogens. The second edition updates the contents and incorporates the latest advances in the field since the 1997 edition was published. It presents an entirely new chapter on metals, which underlines the correlation between metallic properties and their behavior in the environment, as well as new sections on radionuclides and acid drainage water. The chapter on atmospheric chemistry and pollution has been substantially expanded including photochemical smog, the Greenhouse Effect, and pollution processes in the atmosphere and acid rain. The author also adds recent approaches to ecotoxicology, ecological, and human risk assessments to include the probabilistic approach. Basic Concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition is a practical textbook for teaching students the basic concepts of chemistry in the framework of the environment and a practical reference for anyone involved in the management and disposal of industrial chemicals and emissions, occupational health and safety, and the protection of the natural environment.

We have identified a need to draw together knowledge of physiochemical and biological aspects of pollution in tropical aquatic systems. This book results from this and we hope will assist in providing management strategies to protect these systems from pollution effects. In organising the book we have, as far as possible, attempted to cover the range of topics important in understanding pollution in tropical areas. Authors who are expert in their particular fields have been invited to contribute. We recognise that many topics remain uncovered but we hope will serve to assist in identifying these and stimulate interest in this area.